


Forcing Fate

by Chrysalin



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, Fae & Fairies, Memory Loss, Unexpected child, magic dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 02:56:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19123165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrysalin/pseuds/Chrysalin
Summary: Jareth and Sarah aren't cooperating, so the gods and the Labyrinth take over to make two stubborn people finally do what they should.





	Forcing Fate

**Author's Note:**

> I'm moving my old works over from Fanfiction.

A destined love can be a powerful thing, but danger often lurks behind it as well. This is the story of the love between a mortal and a Fae. Not just any Fae. This particular Fae was the King of the Goblins and the ruler of the Labyrinth. And the mortal? Nothing seemed particularly special about her at the surface, but the Goblin King knew her as the Champion of the Labyrinth, the first mortal to conquer his unsolvable maze in all the years he had reigned – Sarah Williams.

* * *

After Sarah’s return, neither intended to ever come into contact with the other again, but the gods and the Labyrinth itself had a different plan. After thirteen years of separation, the powers grew weary of Jareth and Sarah’s continued stubbornness and decided to take matters into their own hands.

One night as they slept, they were brought together again, and their actions in what they believed a dream culminated in Sarah conceiving a child. However, since both believed it to be nothing but fantasy, neither would swallow their pride and reach out to their true love. 

* * *

Sarah sighed as she watched her three-year-old son playing at the edges of the waves. He looked so much like his father – the feathery blond hair, the strange markings around his eyes. Those were so much like her own soft jade. It was probably the only physical evidence of his being her child.

She’d wanted to call Jareth so badly when she finally realized that the “dream” had been real and that she had become pregnant. She convinced herself that he knew it had happened and hadn’t cared enough to return to her life. 

“James!” she called as he ventured out a little too far out in the water for comfort. “Lunch time, sweetie.”

“Okay, Mommy!” he called back, a brilliant smile on his little face. It revealed the faint points of his canines, another trait he had inherited from his father. With a shout he raced up the beach, careening into his mother’s arms. She laughed, rubbing his back. 

Quietly she distributed the food, watching to make sure her clever toddler didn’t dispose of the things he disliked, since he was already demonstrating signs of magic. After they finished, he curled up on a blanket under the umbrella for a nap. 

“I’ll be in shouting range,” Sarah assured him when he asked what she’d be doing while he slept. “I’m just going to swim for a while, precious.”

“Mmkay,” he murmured, already slipping away. “G’nite, mommy.”

“Sleep well, James,” she replied, watching until he was fast asleep. She covered him with a light blanket and rose, walking to the tide line as she shed the light dress she had been wearing over her bathing suit. At first she just stood there, letting the water flow around her ankles. 

“Oh, Jareth,” she whispered. “He looks more like you every day. Why haven’t you ever come to see him?” She wasn’t concerned with whether he heard her or not.

Her frustration was mounting, so she plunged into the waves and pulled herself through with strong strokes until she was out past the edges of the cove. The little island the pair was vacationing on spread out behind her, serene and picturesque, but Sarah had no interest in any of it. She needed to vent some of her restlessness.

With incredible drive, she began to circle the shores, following the curve of the beach. James would be fine – after all, no one else was on the island this time of year. Sarah had taken advantage of the unseasonably nice weather when she decided she needed time away from her work and family. Her stepmother harped at her constantly to tell them who James’ father was. She’d confided in Toby, but she couldn’t tell anyone else because they just wouldn’t believe her.

‘Toby loves his nephew,’ she thought, smiling at a memory of her kind younger brother with her precious child. ‘They mean the world to me.’ 

Abruptly the water began to chill, and dark clouds gathered on the horizon. Sarah realized a storm was brewing, and, by the looks of things, it would be a bad one. She needed to get to James and get them inside.

Things didn’t go as she intended, though. The currents were harsh, and none of them seemed inclined to help her in the right direction. She was tiring quickly as she fought to reach any stretch of the shore so she could run instead. 

Eventually, she broke around the curve and spotted the opening to their little cove. James had been woken by the pending storm and was standing at the edge of the beach, looking for her. 

“Mommy!” he shouted when he spotted her. “MOMMY!”

“James!” Sarah shouted back. “Get inside! I’ll be all right; I promise I’ll get there soon!”

He hesitated at first, but instinct told him to obey. He ran for the little cabin they had been staying in, barely making it in the door as the storm broke. Rain poured down in thick sheets, turning everything to mud. Sarah continued her attempts to reach the safety of the shore.

Misfortune decided to strike again. A huge wave built and slammed into Sarah, throwing her back into the open waters. Flailing, she managed to draw herself back up so she could get some air. Her gaze darted around as she noticed she had ended up almost a mile out, and things weren’t getting better. The struggle was exhausting her, and common sense knew she wouldn’t be able to maintain consciousness much longer. What would happen to her son then?

With the last of her strength, Sarah did something she’d sworn she would never do again. “I wish the King of the Goblins would come and take my son away right now!” she shouted into the waves. No sooner had the words escaped her mouth than another pillar of water crashed into her. She passed out.

* * *

The wish in Sarah’s voice immediately roused Jareth, who’d been lounging on his throne moping for what seemed the millionth time. He’d heard her mention his name but had ignored it, assuming she was having a chat with one of his subjects. Ever since an unusual dream something had been bothering him, but he couldn’t understand what. 

He forced himself to turn his attention to more important issues. Sarah had made a wish. Drawing out a crystal he peered into it, ordering it to show him the girl. He gasped, dropping the orb as it showed him Sarah unconscious, adrift in the sea. A pod of dolphins kept her afloat, but he couldn’t tell much else. The wish pulled at him, digging its magic in and forcing him to obey. He submitted, letting it draw him to his task.

I wish the King of the Goblins would come and take my son away right now...

As he materialized, he couldn’t do anything but stare. Lying in a bed in a small cabin was a little boy. That wasn’t the surprise, since Sarah’s wish had been for her son. What shocked him was that the child was a nearly identical copy of himself, except with Sarah’s eyes.

“Oh dear gods and goddesses,” Jareth whispered. “It wasn’t a dream, was it? Sarah and I have a son…”

Even as he tried to process his revelation, the little boy sat up and rubbed his eyes. He had been crying. Immediately, his gaze locked on Jareth’s own. “You’re him, aren’t you?” the child demanded. “You’re the Goblin King!”

The Fae wasn’t sure of how to handle the situation. Yes, he dealt with children on a regular basis, but it had never been a child he hadn’t known was his. “I… Yes,” Jareth confirmed. “I am the Goblin King.”

The little boy examined him with an intelligent air at odds with his age. “It’s weird. Mommy’s stories always made you sound more scary.”

“Is that so?” the king asked, amused and even delighted by him. Most of his mind was still focused on Sarah, though. She was in trouble. “Your mother tells you stories about me?”

He nodded solemnly. “Mommy told me if I ever really need someone and she can’t be there, I can call for the Goblin King and he’ll help me. Did Mommy send you?”

“She did,” he replied. “She wished for me, and I came. What is your name?”

“I’m James. Where’s Mommy? Why hasn’t she come back yet? She promised.”

Jareth sighed, not sure how to tell the toddler what little he knew of Sarah’s fate. “I’ll find your mother soon, James. Until then I’ll take you back to my kingdom with me. My goblins can watch you while I look for Sarah.”

James thought it over. His mother had always told him to be careful with strangers, but she had also said he could call the Goblin King if he needed help. Deciding there wasn’t much else he could do, he agreed. “But you have to find Mommy!” he insisted.

“I will,” Jareth promised, grasping the little boy’s hand. “Anything that is in my power, I will do for Sarah.” With that, he threw a crystal in the air and they vanished to the Underground.

* * *

Toby paced the hospital corridors. Neither of his parents had come, saying there was a business function they just had to attend, and would he be a dear and check on Sarah? He huffed. 

A doctor stepped out of his sister’s room and he leapt up. “How is she? Is she all right?”

“She’s resting. Beyond that, it’s difficult to say. She asked for you and her son.”

Toby frowned. “I’ll find out where James is. When can I see her?”

“Not for another few hours,” the doctor replied, brushing her hair back. “She had a lot of water in her lungs and it looks like she hit her head on something. She needs to rest before she can speak with anyone.”

Toby turned away, nodding. “Are there any rooms for the patient’s family around here? I don’t want to leave.”

She nodded, directing him to a different wing. “Just let the nurse at the desk know which one you take so we can contact you if Miss Williams wakes up.”

He ran off. He wasn’t even eighteen, but he was the only family Sarah really had. Her mother had barely acknowledged him on the phone, saying she had to be onstage in a minute and asking him to call back in a week. He’d try again in a few hours. Their father hadn’t cared except to ask about James. Sarah just wasn’t of much interest to him. 

He slammed the door once he found a room, furious on Sarah’s behalf. His parents clung to him a lot of the time, ignoring his sister or her child unless it suited them. His mother had been harsh even after Sarah’s trip to the Labyrinth, not caring that the teenager was trying to mend their uneasy relationship.

Toby stalked over to the mirror. Once he’d been old enough to understand the importance of the secret, Sarah had told him about the Labyrinth and even reluctantly explained that she’d wished him away. He told her it didn’t matter since she’d won him back. 

“Hoggle, I need you,” he said with an exhausted sigh.

The glass fogged for a moment before shifting to a different view. A small dwarf-like creature stared back at him now, and the background was nothing like the drab hospital room. “Toby? What’s wrong?”

“Sarah was in an accident,” he explained. “James wasn’t with her, so I need to find him. Do you know where he is?”

“Not sure I do,” he grumbled. “King took a child ta the castle a bit ago, but there hasn’t been a runner and he left after saying he had to find the wisher.”

“You’d recognize James. He looks just like the king, but he has Sarah’s eyes. Is it him?”

The dwarf shook his head. “I’s not been ta the castle. That rat Jareth stopped by the gate on his way out. Said to keep an eye out for a runner. Labyrinth’s like that sometimes, bringing the runner here if they were separate from the wished away child.”

“It’s probably James,” Toby pleaded. “Could you check for Sarah? She’s asking for him. And how can I call the Goblin King without wishing someone away if he’s already Above?”

“Why would ye wanna call him?”

The teen frowned. “He’d know his own son. Please, tell me and go check.”

“Oh, fine,” Hoggle mumbled. “Since he’s already Aboveground, ta call him ya just have ta say his name. If ya mean it enough, he’ll appear. I’ll check the castle.”

“Thank you!” Toby called as the image faded. He turned to face the empty room, ready to reach out again. “Jareth?” he said tentatively. “Jareth!”

“I am already here,” a smooth voice interrupted. “Look behind you, lad.” The teen spun, and the Goblin King smirked. “Well, well, Toby Williams. Didn’t your sister warn you of the dangers of calling me?”

“I had to,” he murmured. “Did Sarah call you earlier? About James?”

“Indeed,” the king said. “Where is she? She has to run the Labyrinth if she wants him.”

Toby shook his head. “She can’t. She’s in the hospital here. The doctor said she hit her head and needs to rest. She was asking for James, but I haven’t seen her yet.”

Jareth frowned, settling into the lone chair in the same fashion he would his throne. “So that was why I am having a hard time locating her. Her magic is more easily traced if she’s conscious. Toby, why am I here? This place is… tedious.”

“She needs James. I’ll run for him if I have to.”

The Fae shook his head. “The wisher must be the one to make amends. There is a time limit though. If she can’t run the Labyrinth within the day, she’ll be unable to reclaim the child.”

Her brother flushed. “She wished because she knew she wouldn’t be able to get to him, so she called his father. Don’t do that to her.”

“Your sister did not see fit to inform me I had a child. I am in no mood to be generous.”

He stared at Jareth, dismayed. “You didn’t know? Sarah said there was no way you wouldn’t. She said she felt magic that night.”

“And therein lies the difficulty,” Jareth drawled. “It was not my magic that drew your sister to me. I had no knowledge of it being anything but a very interesting dream until today.”

Toby sank onto the small bed. “I swear she thought you already knew. Haven’t you watched her at all these past few years?”

“Once or twice,” he replied. “Only while she slept.”

Toby ran his hands through his blond hair in frustration. “Can you at least talk to her when she wakes up? I will first, obviously, but she’ll need to see you.”

“I suppose,” he said. “I was looking for your sister anyway. A few hours will not make much difference.”

“James won’t turn into a goblin, will he?”

Jareth rolled his eyes. “Silly mortal superstition. First, James is half Fae and it shows a great deal. He’ll be fully Fae within a few more years if he stays Above, and it will make him ill. He needs to be Underground to learn to control his magic. This world is so magically drained that such a child would never survive. It is a miracle he has so far. Beyond that, I never turned children into goblins. I already have more of them than I know what to do with.”

“James will want Sarah. She’s the only parent he’s ever known.”

“I am aware of that, thank you. If Sarah is incapable of running the Labyrinth or fails if she tries, she will be staying if she wishes to remain with the boy. I am not so cruel as to separate mother and child when she made her wish to keep him safe.”

“You still love her,” Toby realized suddenly. 

“I have loved your sister since before you were born,” Jareth said in a low voice. “I will love her even after her death if she remains mortal. The Labyrinth brought her to me, though in a less than intelligent manner. Still, she will never regard me as anything other than her villain.”

“You’ll try to keep her Underground whether she wants to or not. That’s why you want her to run for James.”

Jareth nodded, staring out a window at the gathering night. The owl in him wanted to fly and forget the pain of knowing the woman he loved had never even told him of their child, but he pushed the urge aside. He suddenly tilted his head in the direction of the door. “Someone is approaching. Should I not be here?”

“No, it’s fine, but could you change into something a little less… outlandish? You don’t really fit in here.”

Jareth just waved his hand. His clothes morphed from his Goblin King armored regalia to a pair of skintight black jeans and a modernized version of his poet’s shirt, though he still wore his gloves and boots. His hair was tied up in a ponytail and tamed a bit, and the markings around his eyes faded away. “Does this suit?”

Toby nodded as someone knocked. “Yes, come in.”

“Mr. Williams, your sister can take visitors now. Who is this?”

The boy glanced at the Fae. “This is Jareth King. He’s her boyfriend. He’s been overseas, so he just heard.”

The nurse just nodded. “Come along, then. Visiting hours are almost over.”

* * *

Hoggle muttered a variety of unpleasant comments about Jareth and his propensity for stealing children from unwary families. He ducked into the shortcut that led from the gates to the city and ran, knowing that if Sarah was involved time was of the essence. Upon arriving at the castle, he heard laughter and voices, mostly goblin. It was the more intelligent sounding voice that caught his attention. 

The child strutting in the middle of the room could easily have been a younger Jareth. He had seen James a time or two with Sarah, but this was different. In the Underground, his Fae heritage showed. The markings around his eyes were sharp and defined rather than the light lines they were in the human world, and his hair was pale and feathery. The boy obviously had magic. 

A number of shining crystals hovered around him, pulsing with inner light. The goblins clambered to get close. Somehow, the boy had even managed to get clothes more suited to the styles seen in the Labyrinth. Perhaps he had found a few of the things Jareth had worn a couple thousand years ago and made them new. It didn’t matter; he looked every inch a Fae prince rather than a mortal child. Even though he was smaller than the goblins, they obeyed him as they would have the king. 

As Hoggle shuffled closer, the toddler’s gaze shot up to his. “Hoggle!” he called.

“James,” he smiled faintly. Even with such a strong physical resemblance to his father, it was his mother’s smile and kindness. “Let’s talk.”

James pushed through the goblin horde and plastered himself against Hoggle’s chest for a hug, and the dwarf obliged. “How’s Mommy? Where is she?”

“Yer uncle Toby is with yer mother,” he told the boy. “He asked me to check up on ye. You okay?”

“I’m fine. The Goblin King came to get me after the storm took Mommy away and said I could do whatever I wanted as long as I stayed here while he looked for her.”

Hoggle sighed. It was clear Jareth intended to keep the boy. Of course, there was no other option – from what Hoggle was seeing, just being in the Labyrinth had sped up the manifestation of his magic. He would have no place in the mortal world soon. Sarah would be devastated. 

“Are ye happy here?” he asked finally.

The child nodded. “It’s a lot of fun, and the goblins are cool. But… I miss Mommy. When can I see her?”

“I don’t knows.”

* * *

Jareth waited in the hall as Toby entered his sister’s room. At first he thought she was still sleeping, but she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“Hey, Sarah,” he murmured, sitting on the edge of her bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I was hit with a ton of bricks,” she muttered darkly. “That storm came out of nowhere. Where’s James?”

“He’s with Jareth,” he told her.

She stared at him, puzzled. “Who’s Jareth, and why does he have my little boy?”

“What?!” Toby gaped. “Sarah, you know who Jareth is. He’s James’ father, and he’s the King of the Goblins.”

 

“Aren’t you too old to believe in fairy tales?” she demanded. “Where’s my son?”

“Oh no,” Toby gasped, beginning to understand. “Sarah, do you remember Hoggle? Or Ludo or Sir Didymus?”

She shook her head in frustration. “What are you talking about?”

He backed off. “I’m not the one that can explain. I’ll get Jareth. He’ll help.”

Before his sister could reply, he dashed out of the room calling Jareth’s name. The Goblin King glanced up from the position he had taken near the water fountain. “Toby, lad, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Sarah. She doesn’t remember who you are. When I said you were the Goblin King, she told me I was too old to believe in fairy tales. She didn’t remember Hoggle or the others either,” the teenager gasped.

Jareth paled, though it was hard to see in his light skin, and waved a hand, forming a goblet of water he pressed on the boy. “Drink this and calm down. I can see to Sarah.”

Toby nodded as Jareth strode purposefully down the hallway, slipping quietly into Sarah’s room. Once inside, he shut the door and sealed it before dropping the glamour that hid his normal appearance. Before Sarah could face him, he froze time. He needed a moment to examine her before he risked her hysterics. 

He formed a crystal and released his grip on it. For a moment, it hung in the air, but it suddenly leapt over Sarah and danced wildly over her body. Once it was satisfied, it returned to Jareth’s hand. He examined it.

“Of course, the head injury,” he frowned. “Though it is peculiar that such injury would have taken only her knowledge of the Labyrinth. I cannot do anything for memory loss.” He felt the great maze’s sentience stirring. 

What’s wrong with the queen? The Labyrinth asked in his mind. 

‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Somehow a blow to her head took her memories of us.’

You have to find them, Jareth, and bring her here. For your sake and the prince’s.

‘Yes, I do realize this,’ he thought irritably. ‘I am well aware of my obligations.’

The Labyrinth’s voice faded away as he studied Sarah’s face. He snapped, ending the time freeze. Her eyes locked onto his immediately.

“Who are you? You’re him, aren’t you? You’re the Goblin King. Where’s my son?”

He squashed the sense of déjà vu. There were only a few small differences. For one, he didn’t plan on throwing a snake at her while she was in the hospital. He had already healed her injuries, but it was the principle of the thing. He pulled out a crystal and began rolling it back and forth between his hands. “You know very well where he is.”

“Please, give him back. Please.”

“Sarah…” he paused, trying to decide how to handle the situation. “I’ve brought you a gift.” He offered her the shimmering orb. 

She eyed it, wary for some reason she couldn’t understand. She, too, had a sense of déjà vu, but just didn’t know why. “What is it?”

“It’s a crystal, nothing more,” Jareth stated, falling into the old pattern. She would run the Labyrinth, and he would ensure it followed her previous experiences. If things went well, she would remember before she reached the end. “But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams. But this is not a gift for an ordinary woman that takes care of a child. Do you want it? Then forget the baby.”

The dark-haired woman struggled to sit up, not wanting to confront a character she would have sworn only existed in fairy tales lying down. “I can’t. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate what you’re doing for me, but I want my son back. He must be so scared.”

“Sarah,” he warned as the crystal morphed to a snake. Well, she was the one being rude all over again… “Don’t defy me.” With a flick of the wrist he threw the snake, watching her struggle. It turned to a scarf in her hands before falling to the ground as a small goblin. “You’re no match for me, Sarah.”

“But I have to have my son back!”

Jareth sighed. She was good at remembering her lines even through memory loss. Still, magic had been born in her blood. It was no surprise she’d live her story the same way a second time. He gestured out the window. “He’s there. In my castle. Do you still want to look for him?”

Even as Sarah stood, he changed her outfit to the one from before and took them to the hilltop at the beginning of the Labyrinth. “Is that the Castle Beyond the Goblin City?”

“Turn back, Sarah. Turn back before it’s too late.”

“I can’t. Don’t you see that I can’t?”

“What a pity…” he drawled, unsurprised.

“It doesn’t look that far,” she said.

“It’s further than you think, and time is short,” he whispered in her ear. Raising one hand, a clock appeared on a tree branch. It was an strange to her, with its thirteenth hour. “You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your baby boy becomes one of us… Forever. Such a pity.” He faded away, still watching.

* * *

With a spray of glitter he landed on his throne, holding a crystal to observe Sarah’s actions. To this point, she had mirrored her younger self perfectly,. She began down the hill and ran into Hoggle, whom Jareth had already sent to his post with instructions that things proceed exactly as they had before. He grumbled some but agreed, knowing Jareth was trying to help in his strange way. Satisfied everything was going according to plan for the moment, he threw the crystal to the ground. Toby appeared, standing in the shards. 

“What are we doing here?” he demanded. “What happened with Sarah?”

“Sarah’s injuries have healed, but her memories of this place are gone. She is running the Labyrinth again, just as it was sixteen years ago when she looked for you.”

“How did you bring me here?” Toby asked curiously once his immediate worry was assuaged. “I don’t belong in this world.”

“You do,” Jareth corrected. “Just as your sister does. Neither of you ever truly belonged in the mortal realm. There is old magic in your blood, though where you got it from I cannot imagine. Sarah’s came through her mother’s family. Yours is a mystery.”

“Sarah had to give me a series of blood transfusions when I was a few months old. She was the only match. It’s part of the reason she resented me so much as a baby, since my parents didn’t give her a choice or even bother to explain what was happening.” The Goblin King nodded, understanding. “Where’s James?” Toby asked. “I miss him. They haven’t been around much since Sarah was avoiding my parents when they kept bothering her about his father.”

“Why was it so surprising?” 

“Sarah didn’t date. Ever. When she suddenly turned up pregnant, my parents thought she had a one-night stand with some stranger or had been dating secretly. My mother thought she was sleeping with a married man.”

“And she could not explain, so she did not say a thing,” the Fae mused. “Very intelligent, my Sarah. If only she had called me. Things would have been resolved so much sooner.”

* * *

Sarah sighed as the infuriating dwarf shut the Labyrinth gate behind her. She stared in both directions in consternation. Instinct tugged her to the right, so she followed, not sure why she seemed to know which way to go. She ran, barely noticing anything but the endlessness of the corridor. An inner voice whispered of hidden entries, but she ignored it. Eventually, she became frustrated and pounded at the wall, shrieking a little before sinking to the ground. 

“’Allo,” a little voice said near her head. She turned to see a worm.

“Did you just say hello?” she asked. 

“No, I said ’allo, but that’s close enough.”

“You’re a worm, aren’t you?”

88888888

Jareth laughed as he watched. Sarah might have been fifteen again once she entered the giant maze. Even the lines on her face from age and a difficult life vanished. The Labyrinth welcomed her back and encouraged her human magic to reawaken. Her imagination began to dance, lively after the temporary pause caused by her injuries.

The worm directed her along her old path and she wandered the stone maze under his watchful gaze as he prodded the walls to obey the old pattern. She even tried using lipstick on the flagstones. Her encounter with the truths and lies of the door guards produced the correct answer, only to say “It’s a piece of cake” and drop into the oubliette. 

It was here that things would become stronger in her memory, he suspected. Her first encounter with Hoggle hadn’t left the best impression, but in the oubliette he became her friend. He knew she had been feeling the same déjà vu that hit him before. With luck, her escape and their encounter in the tunnels would be the first big spark. 

‘Although,’ he though, ‘perhaps I will kiss her this time. She is mine, after all. Not too young to keep now.’

* * *

It was a grateful Sarah that followed Hoggle out of the oubliette a few minutes later, overjoyed to leave the dark cave behind, even if some strange stone heads kept insisting she was making a mistake or in grave danger. A crystal rolled by, drawing their attention. 

“Oh, no,” Hoggle mumbled in front of her, rolling his eyes since she couldn’t see.

They kept going to see what looked like a beggar sitting at the crossroads. Jareth played his part well, intimidating Hoggle, misusing his name, the usual. 

“And you, Sarah,” he smirked, leaning into her so she pressed back against the wall. “How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?”

She paused, considering. Instead of giving her a chance to answer, he bent forward a little and pressed his lips to hers, pushing magic into the contact. She gasped, giving him an opening to increase intimacy as he waved one hand behind his back and sent Hoggle away. Sarah’s arms went around his neck as she moved against him, returning the kiss. He smiled into it before pulling away. She looked deliciously dazed, much as she had in the crystal ballroom. 

Her cognitive functions returned slowly as her mind reeled, trying to understand what had happened. Slowly, pieces began clicking into place. “Jareth?”

“Yes, precious thing?” he asked in a low voice. “Did that help at all?”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re trying to distract me again. Where’s my son?”

“Our son, precious. He’s as much mine as yours,” he corrected.

“Ha! If he was so important to you, you would have come to see him at some point. You never even acknowledged his existence.”

“Because I didn’t know,” the Fae growled. “His mother failed to inform me.”

“Of course you knew!” she shouted. “There was magic in that dream, Goblin King! I certainly didn’t do it!”

“Neither of us did,” he managed through a clenched jaw. She always seemed to be able to rouse his temper with a few words. “I thought it only a dream until your wish brought me to him. Do you expect me to let my son go when I’ve only just met him?”

“He’s mine, not yours,” she countered. “You set everything up but didn’t do anything about your child.” Pushing him away she sprinted down the tunnel, headed for the ladder that would take her into the hedge maze. She vanished up it in seconds.

“Damn it!” Jareth cursed. He sent Hoggle back to her with a snap before returning to his throne room to brood.

* * *

“Hoggle, how could you?!” Sarah wailed. “You let James stay instead of saving him!”

“I can’ts undo wishes, Sarah,” he reminded her. “Ya know that. Ya made a wish. Jareth may be a rat, but ‘e had ta respond.”

She began to protest the fairness of it but stopped herself. “It doesn’t matter,” she decided. “I’ll solve the Labyrinth and take James home.”

“Sarah…” Hoggle began reluctantly. “James can’t go back. ‘E’s too much a Fae already. ‘Is magic is too strong for that world.”

“What?!” she rounded on him. “No, he can! He’s lived there so far!”

The dwarf shook his head. “The Labyrinth already accepted ‘im. ‘E even looks more like Jareth. He won’t be able ta go back now.”

“No…” Sarah moaned, sliding to the ground. “I don’t want to lose my baby.”

* * *

Jareth softened a bit when he saw how upset Sarah was. It wasn’t her fault how everything had happened. He could even understand why she thought he had orchestrated the whole thing. He could control dreams and weather. It was a logical thought. 

I did not mean to make things more difficult.

‘I know.’

You waited too long. The gods are impatient.

‘I know.’

You’ll keep her here this time?

‘If I can, yes. I do not think she wants to, though.’

She has to stay. She is the queen. Now that she has crossed the border again, her magic can only grow.

‘I know.’ For Persephone, a pomegranate. For Sarah, a peach. That one bite had sealed her fate. There was no way for her to be free of the Underground. The Labyrinth and the gods would find a way to bring her back again and again until she was a prisoner of their will.

* * *

The Labyrinth unfolded for Sarah. With the resurrection of her memories came her magic, and as the Labyrinth’s chosen queen she was free to travel it at will. With practice, she would be capable of everything Jareth could do. Hoggle noticed, but he never said a word.

Sarah hadn’t spoken since she picked herself up off the ground and began walking again. She did not seem to be consciously choosing directions, but he could see the castle looming closer all the time. 

* * *

Jareth took himself to the castle nursery to spend time with his son. The boy had gone with the young goblins and the wished away children to play there.

He exchanged a few words with the nurse on duty, a young woman that had wished herself to the Labyrinth to escape an abusive home. For her rough start, she was excellent with the babies and younger children that came through all the time before Jareth found them a good home, typically with a Fae couple that had been unable to conceive. 

“James!” the nurse called over the rowdy game. “Come here, please.”

Obediently, the little boy ran over with a wide smile on his face. “Yes, ma’am?”

“The king would like to speak with you,” she told him, glancing up at Jareth. “The first room on the left is empty, if that suits you, sire.”

“That will be fine, thank you,” the Fae replied easily. “Come along, James.”

The child followed and jumped feet first into a beanbag lying near a large chair. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, of course not,” Jareth said with a smile. “I just wanted to check on you. How do you like my kingdom?”

“It’s really nice and lots of fun. Where’s Mommy? You said you’d find her.”

“She’s on her way. James, do you know anything about your father?”

The toddler shook his head. “Mommy never talks about him. She said he didn’t have a lot of time and that he lived far away.”

Well played, Sarah. “True enough,” he replied aloud.

The boy cocked his head, examining him. “You look like me.”

“No, you look like me,” Jareth corrected. “I looked like this first, and I have a lot longer. You have your mother’s eyes, though.”

“Yes, Mommy says I don’t look like her much. She says I take after Uncle Toby.”

“Where is your uncle?” the King asked.

“He said it’d been a long day and went to get some sleep. Nurse sent him to one of the empty rooms in your wing. Sorry, she told me to tell you when I saw you.”

“Quite all right.” Jareth drew a crystal and examined the image within. “I’m sorry, but I have business to take care of. You can go back to the other children; I’ll be in to speak with you once your mother arrives.”

James nodded and ran off, eager to rejoin the game.

Jareth studied the picture a moment longer before vanishing.

* * *

Hoggle and her other companions vanished. They had been approaching the border between the forest and the junkyard, and they just disappeared. Sarah swallowed a growl – she knew what was next. 

Jareth appeared behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her jump. “So tense, precious,” he purred. “Is my Labyrinth really that difficult?”

“Of course not,” she replied, “and I wouldn’t be tense at all if you’d give me back my son and let us go home.”

“Sarah, Hogsbreath and Sir Didymus have already told you he cannot return to that world. James has to stay; there is no other option.”

“Damn you, Jareth. You set this all up.”

“Do you really think so?” he demanded. “If I had known about James, I would have come for you far earlier than this. You would have been brought here immediately, not left to rot in the mortal hellhole you call home. You know that, Sarah.”

She shuddered; his lips had been practically on her neck as he spoke. “You love to be cruel. You would have done this just to get revenge for losing all those years ago.”

“Precious thing, I do not have a child out of revenge. I do not want to hurt you. As for cruelty, you should not sound so smug. In this, you are far more cruel than I, not telling me of my child, keeping him from me so that he does not even know who I am.”

“I did him a favor. This world is no place for a child.”

“Do you really think so?” he repeated. “I can see your dreams, Sarah. You have returned to the Labyrinth while you sleep hundreds of times, thousands. In your heart, you wish you had never left. I have seen the dreams you have of offering yourself in exchange for Toby, or where you wish yourself away because you are so tired of being alone. The world has been cruel to you, has left you alone so many times. Your family does not care, you have few friends and a dull and heartless job. Will you really let all of your dreams die for pride?”

She shivered again. “You don’t know my dreams.”

“Don’t I? Precious, I am the Dream Weaver, among so many other things. I know your dreams in ways even you do not understand. If you do not believe me, I will prove it to you.”

“How?” she demanded. “How can you prove you’re being honest?”

His expression darkened. “I do not lie. I may trick or try hundreds of things besides, but I have never lied to you or any other. However, if you are so determined to be cruel and continue to doubt, I can of course offer you the proof you so desire.”

“Then do it.”

He shrugged. “If you wish. I will warn you, though, you will not like the method.”

“I don’t care,” she said hotly. “If you’re being so truthful, prove it to me. Show me this isn’t happening just to hurt me.”

“Very well. Just remember, this was your desire.” He handed her a crystal. It turned into a peach once it touched her. She dropped it and jerked away, Jareth catching it just in time to save it from the ground. “I said you would not enjoy it, Sarah. If you want your proof, this is it.”

Reluctantly, she took it. “What does this prove?”

“You have to eat it, precious.” He sighed as she looked at him in horror. “You will not get your proof if you cannot trust my word. This will not harm you.”

She stared at it for a long moment before lifting it to her mouth and taking a bite. Instantly, the world spun around her and she dropped into his arms. He settled her against a tree and began spinning crystals before blowing them in her direction.

88888888

This time, Sarah knew who she was and what she was doing when she stood in the crystal ballroom, though it had changed from the gaudy place she’d seen sixteen years before. The gown was different, she noticed, not the girly confection she had worn then. The new gown was mature and lovely, feminine without frills or yards of lace. Instead, she wore soft jade, a simple column with thin straps that flowed around her legs as she walked. Rather than a fancy hairstyle, her long brown hair was in a simple twist at the nape of her neck with only a few small clips to hold it in place. The jewelry was also understated, but still beautiful – light silver chains at her neck and wrist, jade drops at her ears.

She looked for Jareth instinctively, regretting it as she did. She did not want to see him or dance with him again. She noticed him immediately, though, somehow alone even in the center of the crowd. Unlike before, he didn’t move as she approached. Her mind rebelled against the action, berating her for going to him again. 

He offered her his hand, not saying a word. She took it, and they whirled into the dance pattern. As they did, she looked him over. 

He wasn’t the same. It wasn’t his blue and white outfit, and he didn’t have a mask. Instead he was dressed very casually, just his typical tight black breeches and a jade green poet’s shirt that matched the shade of her dress. His hair looked normal for him, without any of the colored streaks she had seen during their last dance.

As they began a second set, he began to explain. “This ballroom represents how you see things, Sarah. Look around you. The others are no longer the demons you painted them. They are true Fae because you have learned to see beyond the surface to what is truly there, behind masks and pretenses. You see me as I am instead of the mysterious figure from your past. You see yourself beyond the silly dreams of a young girl.”

“Why can’t I control what I’m doing?” she asked softly.

“Because your actions in this room reflect what your heart desires rather than the warnings in that busy brain of yours. Forget the logic your world forces on its children and listen to what you really want instead of what is expected of you. What is there for you in that world?”

“Toby,” she whispered. “There’s nothing else except for Toby and James.”

“Toby and James do not belong there any more than you do. They have magic, as do you. You will never belong there because of the intrinsic part of you that lives in this realm. You were drawn here from an early age, away from the mundane and hurtful world of the Aboveground. This place has always been your true home.”

“Why did you leave me there for so long?” she asked. “If you knew this, why leave me alone? I would have come back if you had asked.”

“Because you hurt my pride,” he admitted. “I had never lost this game. To be defeated by a mere slip of a girl was galling. The Labyrinth and the gods took matters into their own hands that night, pushing us together. I did not know it was real until you called me to our son.”

She looked away. “I should have told you a long time ago. I just thought you knew and didn’t care about me or our child.”

“Sarah mine, I could never not care about you. You were my obsession from a girl, partly because you had been born with stronger magic than your world had seen for generations. As you grew older, you enchanted me. With time I fell in love with you and gave you the power to call on me or mine whenever you wished it.”

“But what no one knew…”

“Yes, no one knew. I did not realize it until you and I danced the first time. The book created itself, you see, born of bits of our magic and your desire for an escape from your dreary life. When you gave Toby blood, you gave him magic as well. James was born with power from both of us. He will grow like a mortal until he reaches adulthood, upon which he will stop aging. In some respects, he is lucky – most Fae would be a few hundred years old to have grown to his size. Your human blood spared you a much longer pregnancy.”

“That would’ve been hard to explain,” she mumbled. 

He laughed. “Indeed. The Labyrinth wants you here, precious thing. Once your blood fed a creature of this land and you ate that peach, you were bound to it.”

“I can’t leave, can I?” she asked.

He hesitated. “You… can,” he said at length, “but it can bring you back. If you fought, it would hold you here forever with immortality.”

She backed away. “How long have you known that was possible?”

“Sarah, you have to know I would not do that to you!” Jareth protested. “I would not hold you here against your will. I did not know the peach would…”

She shook her head, backing away further. “You trapped me. How could you?”

He reached for her. “Sarah…”

“No.” She ran to the wall and threw a chair against it, shattering the orb and sending her back into the Labyrinth. She waited a moment for the disorientation to leave her then sprinted away, moving back into the woods for shelter rather than continuing on.

* * *

Jareth slumped into his throne, defeated. He began to return her friends but stopped himself, knowing she would need time alone.

I am sorry, Goblin King. I did not mean for this to happen.

He hung his head. ‘Nor did I. I would not have hurt her like that for anything. Now she believes I trapped her here. She will never forgive this.’

She is already immortal. You saw the changes; you know this is so.

‘Even if she went to her world, she would be forced to return by the lack of change.’

Yes.

‘What a fine mess we made for ourselves.’

* * *

Sarah finally stopped running, dropping to a patch of warm glass near a small stream as she wept. “How could he?” she asked the air. 

“Sarah?”

She knew that voice. “Toby?”

He stepped out from between the trees. “Are you all right, Sare?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Did he send you?”

Toby shook his head, knowing who she meant. “He gave me a crystal when I got here and told me I could use it to see you or go to you if I wanted. I saw you crying. What’s wrong?”

“I’m stuck here,” she said bitterly. “The stupid peach he forced Hoggle to give me when I was here the first time was a trick. The Labyrinth tied me to it. It can bring me back whenever it wants, even if I leave.”

“Oh, Sarah,” he sighed, giving her a hug. “I’m sorry if this isn’t what you wanted. You don’t think Jareth did it on purpose?”

“Yes, I think he did it on purpose,” she snapped. “He’s a sore loser. He set things up so even though I won, I’m stuck here anyway.”

Toby frowned. “I don’t think he would do that. Sarah, he loves you. You can see it in his eyes. You of all people should have known better than to eat anything. You know more about mythology than anyone I know.”

“I know!” she growled. “Believe me, I realize that. I made mistakes. Everyone does. I can’t regret them when I got you out after I made my first mistake that night.”

The teenager hesitated. “Sarah, things may have been better for both of us if we stayed. Neither of us were happy Aboveground. You could never have been happy there even if you hadn’t met Jareth.”

“What?” she asked.

Toby laughed nervously. “Try not to hurt me. You may not have noticed this, but you fell in love with Jareth somewhere along the way. Once you did, it was inevitable that you could only be happy here, because here you’d be with him.”

“How – What do you mean?”

“You didn’t see it,” he realized. “Everyone could, so I thought you knew. You miss him all the time when we’re Above.”

“I – No, there’s no way.”

The boy shook his head and held out a hand to his sister where she was lying. “Can we walk and talk? I want to see more of this place. There’s no point in running anyway, since James has to stay.”

She nodded reluctantly, taking her brother’s hand so he could pull her up. He was taller than her by a few inches, still thin from his last teenaged growth spurt, but he was stronger than her. He seemed to know where he was going as he led the way.

“Toby, where are we going?” she asked as he dragged her through the forest. 

“I want to see other parts of the Labyrinth,” he explained. “It’s so much better than just hearing about it.”

“Fine,” she sighed in defeat. “Can we just avoid the Bog? I’ve already been through there once today.”

88888888

Toby really had wanted to see the rest of the Labyrinth. By the time he decided to return to the castle, she was exhausted. She leaned against one of the walls of the stone maze, willing herself to sleep.

The king is worried about you.

“What was that?!” Sarah scrambled to her feet and glanced around wildly, laying a hand against the stone for support.

There is no need to be alarmed. I am Labyrinth.

“Labyrinth?” Sarah repeated. “You can talk?”

I can do many things, Lady Sarah. Long exposure to magical creatures gave me a life of my own. Now I am bound to the line of Fae royalty that rules this land.

“Oh,” she said, confused.

Dear girl, Jareth truly was unaware of what would happen if he gave you the peach. 

The woman frowned. “Did he ask you to talk to me?”

No, child. The king now wishes to simply leave you be to avoid further upsetting you. He is with your son at the moment. He misses you.

“Jareth or James?”

Both.

“How could you have done that to me? Does my opinion not matter?”

Lady Sarah, it is the Labyrinth’s responsibility to choose a suitable mate for the ruling king or queen. You of all others are the only one capable of being King Jareth’s match. It was not my intention to make you unhappy. I have never had a mortal mate for a Fae king before. I was not sure what to do.

Sarah sighed, sitting down again. “I guess I can understand that. I just don’t know if I can trust him. He’s…”

A villain? He is not. Jareth takes those who are unwanted and gives them better lives. Your half-brother was never truly loved by his parents, and you were alone. He wanted to give you a happier home. 

“No being turned into goblins, huh?”

Of course not. Sarah, the king loves you. He cared for you before you ever came here. He will never be happy without you or your child.

“He just took James, though, and didn’t even give me a chance to take him back.”

A Fae prince cannot live in the mortal world. Little James would quickly have become too powerful to remain. Your own magic grows as his does; you would have been forced to return as well.

“I don’t really have any magic,” she demurred. “Just small stuff.”

When limited to that world, perhaps. Here it will continue to grow. Your family has Fae blood in its past. It was strong in you, resulting in your detachment from what humans view as reality. The Above lost its power long ago.

Sarah nodded. “Everyone thought it was weird how fascinated I was by old stories.”

There are few children of the old blood left in that place. Most chose to join the magical realms long ago. Many partbloods wander this world. Elves, Fae, and many others. They never belonged Above. In a different age, you would have been cried a witch and burned. The Underground was the only safe haven for those like you. Your brother has accepted his place here. Will you?

“If I leave, I would lose Toby and James… and Jareth.”

You are immortal, milady. It is not the nature of Fae blood to lie dormant in this land. Upon your return, it changed you completely. You are now as much a Fae as King Jareth and Prince James.

Sarah sighed. “I should go and apologize to him.” She didn’t know why she was accepting everything the Labyrinth said so easily, but her soul declared it the absolute truth. There was wisdom and honesty in the ancient entity. 

“No need,” Jareth said behind her. “I am right here.”

She faced him slowly. His face looked ravaged, and his eyes were red. She’d never believed she could hurt him before. “Jareth, I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “I should’ve trusted you.”

He held out his arms and she jumped straight in, pressing close as he wrapped her in an embrace. She felt a few tears hit her hair. “Sarah mine, I cannot blame you for not understanding. It is dreadful to lose everything you thought was true so suddenly.” He tilted her head and kissed her softly, without the demand that had been there before. It only lasted a few seconds.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I didn’t even realize until Toby told me the truth. I’m sorry I was cruel to you when all you wanted was to make things better.”

“I always loved you, my Sarah,” he murmured. “I loved you as soon as you were born, and I will keep loving you until every star is extinguished. You are my love, my life, and my queen. Will you marry me? We will make a real family with your brother and our son.”

“Toby too?”

“If we had not had a child, Toby would have been my heir when I took my father’s place as High King. Now it is James that will be Goblin King. I want to see us all happy.”

She kissed him soundly. “Of course. Though by all standards, we should have done this already. Does the Seelie Court have a problem with an illegitimate heir?”

“James’ birth was ordained by the gods and the Labyrinth itself. Some may object, but they have no choice in the matter. James will not be denied his rightful place, particularly when Fae rarely have more than one child.”

Sarah nodded. “I’ve never really had a happy family. I’m not sure how it’s done.”

“Neither have I,” Jareth admitted. “My parents were too busy with Court matters to have much time for me. They are preparing to step down in a few decades since they have ruled for several thousand years. If I must be High King, I would like a chance with my new family first.”

“That sounds marvelous.”


End file.
